media_artricles :: 2014

Walcott sets new national record

Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott continues to improve while excelling on the international stage, bettering his national record yesterday on his way to earning a silver medal at the IAAF Diamond League Meet at Weltklasse, Zurich.

It was the second time in two months the 21-year-old has broken his record. In July at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, the Toco native threw a personal best of 85.28m in the qualifying round. He was at it again yesterday, hurling the metal spear 85.77 on his first attempt. The Chaconia Gold recipient crossed 81m twice more but could not replicate his initial throw which was good enough for silver.

German Thomas Rohler, 22 years old, had a similar expericence to Walcott, producing a monster 87.63m throw on his first try but could not better it later on. He still took the gold while Tero Pitkamaki of Finland was third with a 85.12 attempt.

In Walcott’s last Diamond League meet he was unable to secure a medal, finishing sixth with a 84.27m throw. Antti Ruuskanen of Finland won that day with a distance of 87.24 followed by Rohler (85.12) and Finland’s Pitkamaki (84.73) who finished second and third respectively.

Also yesterday, national 100m record holder Richard Thompson and World 400m hurdle champion Jehue Gordon were unable to secure top three finishes.

Thompson, who had a disappointing showing at the Commonwealth Games, finished seventh in the men’s 100m event, crossing the line in 10.26 seconds while Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole won in 9.96 followed by American Mike Rodgers (10.05) and James Dasaolu (10.06) who came second and third respectively.

Gordon, meanwhile, finished fifth in the men’s 400m hurdles final, stopping the clock at 48.91 seconds. Cornel Fredericks of South Africa won in 48.25; second was American Micheal Tinsley (48.31) followed by Javier Culson (48.53) of Puerto Rico.

Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown snatched victory in a photo finish to post her first Diamond League 100 metres win in over three years.

The former Olympic 200 metres champion out-leaned Cote d’Ivoire’s Murielle Ahoure to win the event in a time of 11.04 seconds, and record her first 100m Diamond League triumph since Shanghai, 2011.

Ahoure was second also in 11.04 seconds while Nigerian star Blessing Okagbare clocked 11.06 to be third.

More significantly, the victory was Campbell-Brown’s first since being cleared of a doping charge by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, earlier this year.

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